Digging with one stabilizer

[PA452]

I'm thinking this is a bad idea, but just throwing it out there.

I have a pole building and want to put in a french drain around it on three sides. I have a BX23. I'd like to get the ditch closer to the building than I can get with the stabilizer on the building side down. I figure that leaves me with four options:

1. Dig it by hand.
2. Dig it from the side but that entails a ton of moving the machine and the ditch ends up a lot wider so it takes a lot more stone.
3. Dig with the stabilizer on the building side up and go light on the other stabilizer.
4. Dig farther from the building.

I'm in no way worried about rolling or anything in this location. I'd be swinging the boom toward the side with the stabilizer down anyway. I'm more concerned about putting too much stress on the rear axle that the tractor wasn't designed to have.

Has anyone ever done something like this? I'm probably going to end up digging it by hand or biting the bullet and making the ditch farther from the building, which will require some grading to make that work.

 

[goldenpsp]

Honestly if you go slow and use some common sense you will be fine. Just remember without both stabilizers down you can push the tractor around more, so don't try to bite off as much during each pass.

 

[85Hokie]

You can dig without them......but as mentioned ....you must eat a little less and go a little slower

 

[goldenpsp]

One other option is to come in at an angle you can get pretty close by almost backing in and cranking the BH arm all they way to the side.

 

[Lil Foot]

Saw this done at work a few years back. Guy set one stabilizer down on the ground and the other one he lightly braced vertically against the side of the building. The building was made of concrete panels about 10" thick, and he used a piece of OSB between the pad & building.

If you back in as goldenpsp suggested, keep in mind that you have to back in at an angle, so that you will be at full swing when you dump the spoils, and something less than full swing while digging. It is awkward, but works. I have done it in tight spots for short distances.

 

[PA452]

Digging from an angle is a good idea. I've done exactly that before when digging along very wet areas, places I'd get stuck, etc. But in a lot of those cases I was then able to dump the discard on the wet side of the trench. In this case I can't dump toward the building of course, so yeah, things would be a little tighter. I could conceivably do it that way though and just pull all the discard back toward the machine. Then turn around and remove it with the FEL. Slow process but it could work too; just another option.

 

[timdan94]

I do it all the time. Put it in four wheel drive, lock the brakes, and dig the front bucket in curled backwards keeping the front wheels touching the ground. I take small bites to break it up then take as large of buckets full out at a time. If I cant do that I fill the front bucket with heavy items and keep it a foot off of the ground so to add more weight up front.

 

[bxray]

Give it a try out in the open and see how things react.
Practice, practice and practice!
This way you will not take out your building.

Ray

 

[William1]

On level ground, I rarely use the stabilizers. All the forces are going front to back. As timdan94 says, if you get forward/backward movement, be sure to be in 4WD and put the bucket down. You'll be fine.
If you are digging on a hill, then absolutely use the stabilizers. If the ground tilts away from the building (as it should), only the stabilizer on the down hill side is needed.

 

[PA452]

Thanks guys. As said, not really worried about stability or hitting the building. My only real concern is putting more stress on that rear axle that it was designed for. I think the manual even mentions to always use the stabilizers for that reason.

However, been thinking about it, and I think under the circumstances I'll just have to back in at an angle where I can use both stabilizers and dig with the hoe to the side as suggested. The contours around the building aren't really great for any other method I don't think.